Mental Floss and Matt Soniak Explain “Old Book Smell”

Finally, I know that I’m not alone in my addiction, and have a breakdown of that intoxicating, alluring and heady aroma. And I learned a new word, degradomics — (biochemistry) the study of all the compounds produced in the degradation of a material (especially of a protease.)

Follow the link to find the cause of the fragrance scientists poetically call “A combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness.”